Ninja Academy Book One
by thewrongvine
Summary: Disclaimer: I do not own anything related to Naruto except for the characters I made up. Hotaru is a simple farmboy who dreams of Ninja Academy. His life is changed one day and he gets his chance, but evil is about, such as the demon inside him...
1. Part I Chapter 1

Ninja Academy. That was where most of the kids of the earth wanted to go to. It was a dream! A dream that Hotaru Ansari would never get. He was a simple farm boy off in the country. Why did he deserve to go to Ninja Academy? No, he always told himself sadly, the chances that he could go to Ninja Academy were slim.

The red sun was setting slowly. Hotaru sat on a short hill, lying on the ground, and looking at the clouds and the sun. Today was his birthday and he was now 11 and his present from his parents – he got the whole day off. When he was told this, he rushed to this hill; it was his secret clubhouse where he kept many props and toys that he had made himself such as stick shurikens, where he would dream of Ninja Academy.

His eyes slowly dawned on him, as the sun dawned on the earth, and he was soon sound asleep under the setting sun on a hill.

_Thump_. Hotaru's ears woke up though the rest of his body was still asleep. _Thump_. One thump, two thumps. The sound was coming fast and loud and the whole ground shook. Hotaru jumped up alertly from his sleep and looked around for the source of the thumps. And then… he saw it.

Out from the horizon, here was a large dust cloud on the country lands. He squinted closely and he saw a man on a horse come out of the cloud. Then more and more came, slowly unraveling a whole band of about 40 or 50. He looked closely at one of them and saw the insignia of an angry rock golem face – they were bandits. Hotaru quickly ran down the hill towards his town, _I have to warn them_! He ran over one hill, then two, yes, he was almost there. He finally rampaged through the last hill, panting, and he saw his town. He smiled, _yes! I made it in time!_ He looked up again. Yes, his town was there… on fire.

He had been too late, the whole town was demolished and fire, smoke, and ashes were only left to be seen. The bandits were clearing the town now. In a rage, Hotaru screamed and he ran towards some remaining bandits that were looting the town. He found the last one and defiantly leaped on his horse. Against his tired body's will, his arms slugged the man repeatingly. The man angrily shoved Hotaru off the horse and took out his sword. Hotaru's eyes grew wide and he gasped, shielding himself with his arms. The sword came down – suddenly, a large piece of debris came down – and the bandit was avalanched with only parts of his body sticking out.

Breathing heavily, Hotaru went to the bandit and looked at the insignia. He would remember it, and he would hunt them down, he swore. He ran to the remains of his house and grabbed some supplies – and a picture of his family – just before the house tumbled completely. Then, he set off into the country, for Hotaru was a quick-minded person, and he knew it would be a waste of time to mourn for another few hours. _Yes, dad_, he thought, smiling to himself, _I WILL be able to go to Ninja Academy, and I'll make you proud!_

The sun was soon down and moon took over the night, leaving no trace of day – and the burning town – behind. All that was left for Hotaru was his future, past erased, present burned, and his future would be decided at Konoha and the Ninja Academy. He walked down the lone path on the country towards Konoha, a new child, with a new dream, to go to Ninja Academy. As he looked up, the moon seemed to smile at him and agree with his choice. As darkness came, a peaceful darkness, Hotaru smiled back.


	2. Chapter 2

Hotaru's eyes squinted open into a new environment. For a while, he was confused until his memory came flooding back in. He had been walking and he fell asleep in the dark. Hotaru sat on the ground and looked around. His sights: Trees. Trees. And more trees.

He shook his head getting the dizziness of sleeping out as he got up from the ground. A thought came into his head after a while – he was lost in the wilderness. The only thing he could to – in his opinion – was to climb a tree and see where he was. He went up to the nearest climbable tree and gripped his hands on some dents. _I can do this_, he thought to himself, _think of it as ninja training_. One after another one, groan after groan, his arms hauled himself up the tree until he was finally at the peak.

The sky was fairly blue with none or little clouds in the air. He looked around to the north – mountains far off; to the east – forests; to the west – more forests; to the south – Konoha Village.

Hotaru gasped in excitement and spun down the tree quickly, unaware of the bleeding scrapes on his hand. He ran towards the village's general direction and he finally saw Konoha and its massive gates. He sped to it and just as he was about to enter, he heard a voice call out to him, "Hey, you!"

He turned to where the voice had come and saw 2 men, probably ninja judging from their armor and headbands, and he cautiously walked up to them.

"Welcome to Konoha!" a tall one with brown hair said as he smiled, an unexpected thing to Hotaru which caught him off guard for he had expected something close to security or something bad.

The other guard, shorter and stubbier, in the same friendly tone said, "Are you alone? Where are your parents?"

Hotaru stumbled for words and he finally came up with the simplest answer, "Uhh… they're coming in a few minutes, they told me to come to the village ahead and see where we could stay for the night."

The ninjas looked uncertain for a second, and then the same friendly faces lit up. "Ok, then. Welcome to Konoha once again!"

Hotaru rushed in before the guards could see the relief on his face. He looked around everywhere and it was like nothing he had imagined. The _real_ Konoha was much more vast and filled with buildings. And finally, his eyes rested on one tall building – the Ninja Academy.

It was a strong structure painted red in the shape of a cylinder and Hotaru could see the small fields of green grass surround it. Hotaru began to dreamily walk towards the builders, all sorts of thoughts swirling in his mind, _what should I do? How is it like there?_ Everything!

Suddenly, a voice interrupted his thoughts, "Hello, Hotaru. I've been waiting a long, long time for you." The voice was tender and warm. Hotaru turned to the right to see an old man, smiling.

Hotaru frowned slightly, "Who are you? And how did you know that I would be here?"

The old man, dressed in a white tunic, laughed heartily, and from that gentle laugh, Hotaru could sense that he was not an enemy. "Well," he began, "I know many things about you, such as how your village burned down and that you are 11 now… because I _am_ your grandfather."

Hotaru gasped, eyes wide open, shocked at this information. It was silent for a few seconds. He looked at the man uncertainly, "Are you really, truly my grandfather?" He could now recognize the facial parts of the grandfather he had met when he was only 3 years old.

The old man nodded, and suddenly, the two rushed to each other. They embraced each other, and one by one, tears trickled down his grandfather's face. The man's voice was muffled by sobs, "I've missed you, Hotaru."

Softly, ever so gently, also crying, Hotaru answered, "So did I…"


	3. Chapter 3

It was almost dark now. Hotaru and his grandfather sat in his house on the bed, discussing what they had missed from each other over the years. "So what part of the Ninja Academy are you?"

His grandfather grinned mischievously, "I am indeed the president!"

Hotaru's jaw dropped down as he stood there staring at his grandfather. He began talking about Ninja Academy as Hotaru's jaw still hung down.

"Now, I am giving you a chance to join the Ninja Academy, but do not think that just because you have raw talent – from me of course – you don't have to work hard like everyone else." Hotaru nodded as he listened to everything the man said – what they would do, when, and other information.

That night, Hotaru slept well with dreams of becoming a ninja.

The next day, Hotaru and his grandpa woke up early in the morning. He was eager to get to the Academy and rushed his breakfast, changing, and morning chores. Finally, his grandpa was ready to leave. They left his house and walked down the dirt path.

As they went, Hotaru began thinking of what would happen there and who he would meet. Soon, they were in the courtyard of grass in the Ninja Academy. Other kids were around, practicing with weapons such as kunai and shurikens and some older kids were even doing jutsus. The reached the building, and after a few twists and turns, they arrived in a fairly large room.

It was made with a wood-tiled floor and concrete walls painted clear yellow. On the far wall to the outside, there were open doors leading to the outside training patio. Many other kids, looking about Hotaru's age, were also there, either talking with friends, alone, or doing some other thing.

Hotaru faced his grandpa, "I think I'm ready now." His grandpa nodded and left the room.

He looked around and studied the kids there. Some where chubby, some skinny, some fierce-looking, and some… some were just like him, random kids wanting to join the Ninja Academy. After what seemed like 10 minutes, a man in a ninja uniform entered the room. Every silenced themselves and waited for something to happen, as the man went to the front desk.

It was quite for a moment, as all the kids stared at the man, who was looking around curiously.

Finally, someone broke the silence, "So, you gonna' do something?"

The man looked at the child who had spoken for a moment… and then smiled, "Actually, I _am_. Hello, everyone and welcome to Ninja Academy. I am going to be your instructor for your lessons, up until you pass into the next level. You can call me Daichi."

The kids nodded, and mumbled the name to themselves.

Instructor Daichi started heading out to the patio, "Everyone, go outside and stand near a kunai post. There will be 3 kunai there. Wait at one stand."

The class obeyed and went outside. Hotaru found an open stand numbered 9, and waited for further instructions. While waiting, he looked at the kunai. They were shining brightly – they seemed to call to him strangely.

Finally, all the kids were waiting at a stand, and the instructor spoke, "Each of you will throw the 3 kunai, one at a time, at the target, 6 meters away from you. Record your results on the boards with the drawn target on them. Be honest to yourself… even if you don't, I'll see."

Hotaru picked up a kunai and flexed his arm, testing the weight. He took a deep breath, winded his arm up, and chucked it clumsily at the target.

_Freop!_ The kunai hit the side of the target and bounced off to the ground. He took his pencil and wrote, "Missed target" on his recorder. He took the second kunai, and this time threw it like a Frisbee, on the side. It made a quick _smack_ sound as the kunai hit the outer white space. He took his pencil and recorded it. Then, he took his final kunai.

_One last try_, he thought. He winded his arm back the way he did before, and with a deep breath, chucked it accurately at the target. _BAM!_ The kunai landed 2 spaces away from the center. Hotaru smiled to himself for a moment, and then quickly thought, _it was probably just luck. Pure luck_.

Surprisingly, the instructor was right behind him and seemed to know what he was thinking, "Don't think all of that was just luck. You have true talent in you." He smiled at Hotaru, and Hotaru nodded back.

The class was soon all done, and they headed back in. In the classroom, the students were told to sit at the desks they were assigned, with names on them. He finally found his seat in the middle left. Next to him sat a girl with blond hair – Aimi, he found out – and a boy with a stern, fierce looking face – Ichirou.

Once the class settled, the instructor passed out these blue packets with the title, "Ninja Academy".

"This is a fill-out form for you guys," Instructor Daichi began, "just fill in the questions and in the miscellaneous section, give a short biography about yourself. Afterwards, we'll do something fun."

As Hotaru read the information part, something caught his eye – _Once in the Ninja Academy program, if you leave without a notable excuse, you will __**not**__ be allowed to rejoin_.


	4. Chapter 4

Hotaru pondered on this for a minute. He looked around and saw that most of the other kids were doing this casually, looking careless or sleepy. His true goal floated around in his mind – to avenge his parents and town. Finally, Hotaru made his mind up; he would cross that bridge when he got there.

He started the other questions and soon, got to the miscellaneous section, and filled out a short bio of his life in his own town. Hotaru finished just as everyone else did, and instructor Daichi came around and collected them. As the instructor went around the class, Hotaru looked to the sides to study the kids next to him. Aimi, the girl with blond hair, seemed to have a gentle air while Ichirou, with dark black hair, on the other hand, seemed to be self-confident and fierce. Both of them were taller than him, he found out.

Finally, instructor Daichi finished and after putting them in a drawer, went to the front desk.

"Take a look around you, "he began and paused, as the students all looked around at each other, "they will all be your classmates." Everyone nodded, taking one quick look at each other. "Now, take a look at the 2 students sitting at your table," everyone complied, "they will be your group."

Hotaru, Aimi, and Ichirou's eyes darted at each other quickly and back. _This is gonna' be fun_, Hotaru thought, as Ichirou's stern figure floated in his mind.

"Now everyone, get up and make a circle around me." The students all got up and made a circle, more of a triangle actually, around the instructor. 'Now watch me carefully."

His hands started moving quickly into hand seals. _FROOM!_ Suddenly, smoke erupted from different spots in the room and the instructor became everywhere at the smoke! The students gasped – except for the few like Ichirou.

Ichirou stepped up and quietly said, "A simple Clone Jutsu." His hands moved the same way as the instructor, and the same thing happened. Smoke erupted from the ground, and clones of him stood there.

Instructor Daichi smiled, "Looks like we have a fast learner here." And the clones disappeared into smoke.

As for Hotaru however, he had no idea what was going on.

The instructor spoke again, "At your desk, there will be scrolls there. Take the one at your desk and go outside. Then, you'll have 30 minutes to try and figure out the Clone Jutsu in anyway you want. Go now."

Everyone rushed to their scroll and ran outside. Hotaru got his and opened it as he ran outside to the patio. Pictures of hand seals were shown. He found a spot near a tree by himself, and began copying the seals. As he finished the last seal, he began concentrating hard, and said, "Clone Jutsu!" His eyes closed tightly for a moment and when they opened… there was nothing. Hotaru sighed, he couldn't do it. He gazed at the other students. Most of them were failing like him but he looked at Ichirou, and saw that he was creating one, two, three, four, and more clones.

Aimi wasn't having and luck either, but it seemed that she was getting there because she was surprisingly calm. Hotaru did the seals again, but nothing happened. For the next 25 minutes, everyone tried as hard as they could. Some kids got one or two clones, but Hotaru still had no luck. Finally, the instructor called them back in. When all the students fell down into their seats, the instructor spoke to them.

"Does anyone know how some of you got the jutsu? What causes that?"

For a while, no one said anything, not even Ichirou. Finally, Aimi raised her hand, "It's from chakra."

Instructor Daichi nodded her on, "Tell us what you know."

'It's a vital force generated within the cells of a living organism. Combined with our Physical and Spiritual energy, we can use the chakra to do different things, one being jutsus. There are different types of chakra, depending on what energy mixes with it."

Instructor Daichi clapped, "Very good Aimi.", and she blushed slightly. "She is right, we use chakra. Some people couldn't do it because you didn't use your chakra. Everyone, let's go back outside."

The students went out and formed rows, as the instructor told them to. He showed them the chakra concentration seal, and everyone started to silently concentrate their chakra.

Hotaru forced his body to calm down as his body searched for this "chakra." It was completely silent, except for the sounds of nature. Suddenly, Hotaru felt a little surge of energy in his body. It was coming from his center body and flowing outwards. It got bigger and bigger, and the surge was soon going to the whole body. Hotaru felt as if he was floating.

He opened his eyes and saw that there was a soft, almost transparent, blueish field of… energy, flowing around his body, particularly at his chest, where the source was. He could see the other students being surrounded by the same blue energy.

After about another 5 minutes, the teacher called them back, "Now that you have all demonstrated the use of chakra to yourself, try the Clone Seal again. If you don't remember it, the scrolls are in the room in the left cabinet."

A few students went back in. Hotaru, however, had memorized the hand seals. Ichirou, he saw, already created a few clones. Aimi was getting better, each time having chakra flow out slightly. He concentrated his chakra with the chakra concentration seal, and began to feel the same essence flow in his body. After a few seconds, his hands moved into the Clone Jutsu hand seals. _FROOM!_ Smoke erupted next to him and an exact clone popped up! The clone smiled at him and waved. Then…_ FROOM!_ The smoke came back up and the clone disappeared. But Hotaru didn't care.

He had done the Clone Jutsu, even if a quick one. He had done it!

The day was soon over. They all went back in and the instructor dismissed them. When Hotaru got back to his grandpa's house, his grandpa was already there, and getting food ready.

"How was your day?"

Hotaru smiled, "Great! I learned the Clone Jutsu!" His grandpa patted him on the back, and they ate dinner. Afterwards, Hotaru slept happily.


	5. Chapter 5

Finally, it was the next day, a brand new day that Hotaru was looking forward to. He woke up at about 6am before his grandpa and ate a quick breakfast – ramen and milk. When he finished, he put up a note, saying that he left early for the Ninja Academy, on the fridge and sprinted off.

His grandpa's house was quite far away from the Academy, 4 or 5 long blocks, so he saw many things as he was passing through. It was almost 6:40 when he got to the Ninja Academy. A few kids were already there training, one be Ichirou. Hotaru's stiffened and walked up to him.

From behind a tree, Hotaru watched Ichirou target practicing with. Kunai one – _Froom!_ landing 2 spaces away. Kunai two – _Fram!_ landing between the 2nd and 3rd space. Third kunai – _BAM!_ landing right in the center space.

Hotaru gazed in awe; Ichirou was simply amazing and at such a young age. Then, he grew bitter again, jealousy clouding his thoughts. He watched Ichirou for about another minute and he finally reminded himself to stop the thoughts of jealousy. He went into the Ninja Academy, to his class, out the patio, and began searching for a private place to train.

It was almost 7am when he found a little shed in the woods. It was broken up with holes and cracks everywhere and in it, there was a large tree growing right through a hole in the top. _Perfect_, he thought. Hotaru started carving a circular target in the tree. It was hard work, but he finally finished it.

Hotaru stepped back to admire his work. It was pretty shabby, but for a target carved with a kunai out of a tree, it was pretty good. He took the kunai he had used to carve the tree with, and threw it with all his strength. _Froom!_ The kunai struck in slightly 4 spaces away from the center… and it fell down.

The tree was still hard and would take time to soften enough for a kunai to stick in. For the next 30 minutes, he began training with the 2 kunai he had. At 20 minutes past, he could already see improvement.

What was usually 4 spaces away, was now 3 spaces away. That or it fell off. After the 30 minutes, Hotaru fell down in exhaustion and gazed at the kunai he had thrown. One was 2 spaces away from the center and the other was almost out of the target, but still counting as in. He smiled and then chuckled loudly. Hotaru _had_ improved.

He chuckled his head off for a few seconds and finally, a realization struck him. He forgot about Ninja Academy! _Oh no,_ he thought, _what are Aimi and Ichirou gonna' say when I get back. _

Hotaru quickly got on his feet against his tired body's will and ran as fast as he could back to the outside patio and in to the classroom. There was nobody there. _Where could they be_, he thought. He went in to the hallway and gazed both ways. The other classes had people there… but where were his classmates.

He walked down the hallway and stopped at a room with the door open. He looked inside – it was a small room with a desk and a few chairs around. He looked to the left and saw Aimi Ichirou.

"I found you!" Hotaru said in his childish voice. He started to giggle.

Aimi and Ichirou, however, weren't in the mood.

Ichirou answered in an annoyed voice, "Way to go, loser."

Hotaru stopped giggling and looked at them, "Huh?"

Aimi stepped up, "Where do you think out classmates are," she said in the same annoyed voice, "they're training! And we couldn't go because our "team" wasn't here!"

Hotaru stood there, speechless. "Listen, guys," he began, and Ichirou already stopped listening, "I'm sorry, I was out training in the woods." Aimi raised her eyebrows. "I was! Really! And then I forgot about this and… oh… I'm sorry."

Suddenly, instructor Daichi appeared in the window. The three kids jumped back and stared at him for a minute.

Then he smiled and spoke, "Ready for training?" They quickly got to their feet, climbed out the window, and followed the instructor. When they got there, they saw all these obstacles in a large field, and the other students going through them as quickly as they could.

He assigned their group to the last one. "These are obstacle courses, and the three of you will race each other to the end and back." The three nodded. "The point isn't the racing, but to get it done. Understand?"

They nodded, and he left them. For the rest of the day, the class trained, doing obstacle courses, target practicing, and doing simple jutsus. Soon, the day was over, and everyone, with the exception of instructor Daichi who just relaxed and ate all day, was tired out to the bone. They packed their few items, and returned to class.

For the next few months, the whole class trained hard, refining their ninja skills and jutsus. The whole classes' endurance, teamwork, and skill improved greatly. They each began to find their own talents and specialties.

One day, the instructor called them in at mid-day.

"I have an announcement to make to all of you." Everyone waited silently. Instructor Daichi looked at all of them quietly, and everyone knew it was something important. "In 2 months, we are having the graduation exams." All the students began to speak to each other with excitement. After the rustle of speaking ceased, he continued, "I will later on inform you all on what you need to prepare for, but know this. These exams will determine whether or not you pass to become a genin. But don't worry, if you fear that you might not make it! It's pretty easy if you practice and if you fail, you can still stay in the program and try again next time." He noted for them to continue to train and talk. He told them that today would end now, and the rest of the day they had off.

Hotaru ran to find Aimi and Ichirou. He finally did and waited.

"Well?" Ichirou said, "What do you want?"

Hotaru began to speak excitedly, "Are you nervous cause' I am!" Aimi and Ichirou sighed in annoyance. "I mean, who wouldn't be? But still, I can't wait for them!" The day continued and soon, everyone was home.

And with our narration, we will skip to the day of the exams.


	6. Chapter 6

The sun rose earlier than yesterday, and Hotaru also woke up earlier. Most of his days were like this now – wake up early and go train at his little training area in the forest. But today was going to be different. Because today… was the graduation exams. 

Hotaru ate a light breakfast – he didn't want an upset stomach right during the exams – left a note to his grandpa saying he left early, and ran off to his training area. The exams were in an hour so he still had time to practice a little. _But only light training_, he told himself, _don't wanna' get too tired_. 

After about 40 minutes, Hotaru stopped training and rested on the soft, green grass. As he lay there, he could see glimpses of the clouds and sky through cracks between trees. At first, Hotaru thought he was seeing things, but when he blinked a couple of times, he could still see it.

One peculiar cloud was shaped in the form of a slightly deformed skull. _That's odd_, Hotaru thought, _I wonder what that means_. The cloud flew slowly across and was soon out of Hotaru's sight. _A skull… maybe an omen._ Hotaru decided to ignore it for now and rested for another 10 minutes.

During his rest, Hotaru fell asleep into a deep trance.

_The ground and surroundings were completely dark. Hotaru wandered around aimlessly, looking for something, anything. He called out loudly, "Is anyone here!?" No reply. "Where am I!?" Once again, no answer. He ran around for a couple of minutes and suddenly, a young man looking about 16 years old appeared lying on the ground. He was breathing heavily and his eyes were wide. "Hey, man, where am I?" Suddenly, another man appeared. He was wearing dark cloths and seemed like a big fellow. A sword appeared in his hand. Hotaru's eyes widened. The man leaped to the man on the floor. "No!" The sword was cut deeply into the young man and blood spilt everywhere._

Hotaru's eyes opened. _Was just a dream_, Hotaru thought. He got up and ran to the Ninja Academy. Other kids were now coming in and he saw Ichirou and Aimi already at their desks. He went to them and sat down in his seat between them.

"Well, it's the big day!" 

Ichirou sat there and ignored him as always. Seeing that, Hotaru turned to Aimi. "Hey, are you nervous?"

Aimi sighed, "Yes, Hotaru, we _all_ are. Now please just be quiet."

Hotaru faced the front and waited silently. Finally, instructor Daichi appeared through the doorway and waited for the kids to quiet down. When they did, instructor Daichi went to the front desk and spoke to them, "Well guys, today's the graduation exams." The kids shuffled nervously. "But know this, if you fail, its ok. You can always try again… and with that, we'll begin. You will all follow me into a room and each of you will be tested one at a time by the Hokage and other jounin ninja. Good luck!"

As they left for the other room, Hotaru began to wonder about the 7th Hokage, Konohamaru. _If__I'm gonna' be judged by HIM! I better do well_. They found their way into a room just like all the other ones – made with wooden floors and clear-yellow concrete walls. They were chairs along the sides of the walls.

"Get into any seat you want, the closest ones here are the first to go, the furthest ones down are the last to go." All the kids rushed to be either in the middle or the end. Hotaru found a seat somewhere in the middle. Some of them who weren't so lucky were in the front. The first to go was a chubby boy named Chouji Jr., but everyone just called him Chouji. 

One by one, they went, until it was finally Hotaru's turn. As he entered the next room, he breathed in and sat down in the chair in the middle of the room. He had only seen the Hokage once before. He was wearing a white tunic and hat. 2 other jounin were to the side of him wearing ninja uniforms. 

The exams began and Hotaru was told to do jutsus like the Clone Jutsu and Replacement Jutsu, and show his basic ninja skills like throwing a kunai and do a short obstacle course. It was about 10 minutes, and afterwards, he was breathing heavily and sweating. _If those short 10 minutes had done that, I wonder how a real fight will be like_, Hotaru wondered.

Silently, Hotaru waited as Hokage Konohamaru and the 2 other jounin discussed Hotaru's scores. It seemed like an eternity but finally, the 3 men sat back in their seats. Hotaru stared at them, breath held and fingers crossed. 

As the 7th Hokage's mouth opened, Hotaru's eyes widened slightly.

"The results of the exams," said the deep but rich voice of the Hokage, "You pass."

Hotaru stood there for a moment, eyes and mouth open, speechless. And suddenly, Hotaru grinned and jumped up, cheering, "Oh yeah! That's what I'm talking about!" The 3 men smiled, and told Hotaru to exit the same way he came in from and back home. 

As he went through the waiting room, he saw Aimi and Ichirou, still waiting, look to him. He stopped, smiled, and gave a thumbs-up. Aimi – and even Ichirou – smiled and nodded to him. Hotaru ran through the hallway and out the Ninja Academy and home.

He told the news to his grandpa and they celebrated with extra ramen. Hotaru had passed the exams and was now a genin!


	7. Chapter 7

The next day, Hotaru woke up right on time meaning just like all the other students at the Academy. When he got out of the bathroom and down the stairs to the kitchen, his grandpa was already making breakfast.

He turned to Hotaru and smiled enthusiastically, "Ready for your first day as a _real_ ninja!?"

Hotaru grinned and yelled out, "Oh yeah! I can't wait!"

"Eat your breakfast and head out to the river bridge, your new squad leader will meet you, Aimi, and Ichirou there."

Hotaru nodded and quickly gulped down his breakfast. When he finished, he got his carry pack, a snack bar, and went out to the bridge. It was a quick 5 minute walk and soon, he arrived.

Hotaru went under the cover of the bridge and waited. He gazed upon the river for about a minute… then 3 minutes… 5 minutes. _Where is everyone_, Hotaru thought, _I'm supposed to meet here right?_

A whisper was heard, "Now!"

2 dark shadows leaped out from the top of the cover, down to the sides, and at Hotaru. "Wha-" A pair of hands covered Hotaru's mouth and they knocked him down to the floor. They wrestled for a moment, Hotaru never giving up, until one final shadow leaped down.

The figure was wearing a ninja uniform. "Let him go now," a calm, steady voice said, and the 2 people holding him down let go and helped him up.

Hotaru's eyes widened when he got up, "Aimi and Ichirou! What the heck was that for!? I mean, seriously, are you guys lik-"

The man in the ninja uniform stepped forward Hotaru stopped and looked at him, studying him for a second.

He sighed at Hotaru, "Hotaru, my name is Katashi Isamu, but you can call me… _Instructor_ Katashi.", with emphasis on instructor.

"Wha?" Hotaru managed to blab out, "You're our instructor"

In the same calm, steady attitude, Katashi said, "That's me. And if you had paid more attention, you wouldn't have been tackled by them."

Hotaru scratched his head for a moment, and then nodded. He head Ichirou mutter, "Idiot…"

Katashi started to walk to the main gate, "Follow me, I took the liberty of getting our first D-Rank training mission. I'll explain as we go."

The 3 followed him out to the gate and they were soon on the dirt path leading to the cities elsewhere.

"Our first mission is quite simple, even for a D-Rank one."

The 3 students eyed him as they walked.

"Our mission is to…" the 3 grew more focused, "track down and capture a robber, and might I say, a pretty stupid robber. Out hirer said that the robber, who was drunk, stole some documents from him. All we have to do is find him, easy enough as we have a scent from his cloths at the inn, and capture him."

"What about provisions," Ichirou said, "if this turns out to be a wild goose chase, we'll need food and supplies to last the time."

Katashi smiled, "Don't worry about that, we can stop at the plenty of inns out there and refresh our supplies anytime. We probably won't be going too far out, so there will be many inns we know."

The team nodded and headed down the road. At about mid-day afternoon, Katashi suddenly stopped. "I think it's time."

Aimi asked, "Time for what, instructor?"

Katashi didn't respond to her question, and suddenly did a hand seal and stamped it down on the ground. "Summoning Jutsu: Earth Fang Tracking!" Symbols appeared on the floor and fog rose up.

When the fog deceased, 3 dogs were sitting there. It was silent for a moment, until one of them, the head dog it seems, turned to them and _said_, "What do you need from us, Katashi?"

The 3 students' eyes widened and they were speechless.

"Wha-But how- I mean- What!? They're talking!?!" Hotaru screamed out. Katashi nodded. "But how!?! They're dogs! How are they TALKING!?!"

Katashi chuckled, "They aren't normal dogs. They're nin-dogs, specially trained for tracking a scent, lucky for us." He gave the dogs a sniff of a shirt from the robber, the dogs barked, and ran off into the distance.

"Let's go a little into the forest. We'll camp there for the night and when the dogs return the next day and we have our lead, we'll continue."

The shock soon died out and they set up camp a few meters out off the street in the forest, hidden by the leaves and plants. The sun soon set down, and the moon took its place.

The mission would continue tomorrow.


	8. Chapter 8

"Is the ramen ready yet?" Hotaru yawned, hands reaching out into the air. He grabbed a bowl of air and sat up, though he was still half asleep. "My delicious ramen…" His mouth opened and his hand, with the imaginary spoon, went towards it. He closed his mout –"Aouch!" Hotaru yelled as he instantly woke up. He rubbed his eyes and got up.

He was no longer at the camp. It was the same surrounding though – the forest from last night. He looked down, there was nothing there. _I was sleeping on the floor?_ Hotaru wondered.

Leaves fell down from the trees and suddenly, Ichirou popped down! "Boo."

Hotaru stood there for a second… and then jumped back, "Ahh! Where is everything?"

Instructor Katashi, Aimi appeared out of the trees, and they along with Ichirou all jumped down onto the floor. "While you were still snoozing off," Katashi said, "We packed up and got our things – and yours, unfortunately, - ready. Now, let's go."

The 4 walked out of the forest and back to the dirt road. About 5 minutes into the journey, Hotaru's stomach began to grumble.

"I'm getting hungry." Hotaru began as he rubbed his stomach, "When are we gonna' eat. I can't last like this."

Aimi rolled her eyes, "We're all hungry, just wait." At that moment, 3 clouds of fog erupted from the ground in front of them. The 4 stopped moving and looked down.

"Well, seems they're back." Katashi said, in his casual voice.

When the fog cleared, there stood the 3 nin-dogs, standing in an upright posture. _Heh, _Hotaru thought to himself, _they look like little soldier dolls_. The dog in the middle stepped forward, "We have our reports ready."

When the dog heard no reply, he continued, "We found the thief. He's sleeping right now in an abandoned warehouse just east of here."

Katashi nodded, "Ok, you heard him. Let's get movin-"

_SWFROOM!_ An object – they couldn't see what – was coming at them with incredible speed. The 4 and the nin-dogs jumped out of the way from their reflexes. _BAM! _They landed down and looked at where they were standing.

Pieces of the earth flew as the projectile created an impact crater 3 feet deep. The sparse vegetation nearby were engulfed with flames as tendrils of flame and ash scattered out. The ninjas took no time to waste – the 4 split up into sides and ran towards the source – a man dressed in black with a crimson-colored helmet.

Hotaru and Ichirou were on the left side. They sprinted across their side and when they were directly lined with the man, they each threw kunai and shuriken at them. Katashi and Aimi went behind the man and just as the man leaped back to dodge the weapons hurled at him – they expected nothing less – Aimi dashed up to the man's back with a kunai while Katashi threw a shuriken at him.

The kunai cut deep into the man's back and he winced in surprise. He turned around and when he saw Aimi there, he easily punched her away onto the ground. However, he wasn't prepared for the shuriken. His arms flew up covering his head in defense and the shuriken stabbed itself in the wrist cuffs.

The man pulled the shuriken out and threw it down on the floor. Ichirou and Katashi were surrounding the man now. Hotaru had run to Aimi, who was still on the floor motionless.

Hotaru went to examine her face where she had been hit – and saw a cut on her face and blood all around. _His wrist cuffs must have blades on them_, he thought. Rage flowed through him, "I'll get you for this!"

Unexpectedly, Hotaru ran at the man head on – or side on for this matter -, leaped up, and slung his arms down at the man.

"Hotaru, wait!" Katashi called, but it was too late.

Just as Hotaru's arms were about to connect with the man's head, the man fell down purposely on his arms, and his legs whirled upwards at Hotaru. Hotaru closed his eyes and braced himself.

_BAM!_ The man's leg smashed into Hotaru's stomach, kicking him about 10 feet away on the ground. Just before he fainted, he heard Ichirou mutter, "Idiot." Then, darkness engulfed him.

While he lay there, the fight continued. Aimi was getting into conscious again, and she slowly got up.

Ichirou and Katashi stood around the man, arms stretched out, ready for defense or offense. Katashi called out to the man, "Who are you? What do you want?" The man made no response. Ichirou took the opportunity that the man was distracted with Katashi, and rushed up to the man.

_This time,_ he thought, _the man's gonna' get hit_. Ichirou jumped high into the air, took 4 kunai in each hand, and hurled them down at the man in all directions. Attached to the kunai were exploding tags. _Try that_.

Katashi leaped back, but the man had no time. The kunai smacked down into the earth and the tags were already half-way burnt. His hands moved into some hand seals and just as the explosion happened, there was a muffled, "Earth Styl-". The fire erupted around and died out just as quickly.

Ichirou landed softly on the ground with a steady air. "That was quick thinking, Ichirou. Good job." Katashi congratulated. The faraway voice of Aimi was heard, "That's right, Ichirou!"

Katashi was still in his battle-ready stance. "Now… where did he go?" His eyes opened wide before it even happened. A tiny hole crumbled under him and a hand shot out along with the man. Katashi grunted and tried to jump out of the way, but it was too sudden.

The hardened fist slightly touched Katashi's face, but nonetheless, the blow was hard, and Katashi was knocked to the ground.

Aimi ran towards her wounded instructor, "Instructor, are you ok?" Katashi nodded as he got up, "I'm fine, just fine." The battle froze for a moment as the 4 looked at each other. Everyone was wounded with attacks from each other.

In a slight flash, Aimi saw Ichirou's signal, and nodded. Katashi caught on and started the plan. He ran towards the man and Ichirou followed slightly behind. Aimi however, leaped at the man, and performed a basic slash. Of course, the man easily dodged it, but he wasn't expecting what would happen next.

Preoccupied with Aimi's slashes, he didn't notice Katashi and Ichirou running up at him from the side. The man jumped back, but that wouldn't help. Ichirou jumped off from the ground and Katashi grabbed his legs. He swung Ichirou with all his might. _Whoosh!_ The sound of the air was heard as Ichirou was swung at him at full speed.

While in the air, Ichirou did the Clone Jutsu seal, "Clone Jutsu!" and a couple of clones appeared out of nowhere. The man blocked himself with his arms, but it was no use. The clones did no damage, but the real one… _Bam! _Ichirou's arms collided with the man's and they were both sent flying backwards.

Ichirou landed on his feet but the man slid down on the ground.

Hotaru slowly got up and filled himself in on the fight. _Oh, I'm not gonna' miss the action in this one!_ He sprinted lowly at the man from behind, fists clenched. He was a foot away from the man… Hotaru slid _right_ past the man and up front. The man turned his head to Hotaru. Hotaru firmly pressed onto the ground with his feet and stopped sliding.

He ran upwards and jumped at the last moment, fist knuckling into the man's jaw. The mask flew off into the air and the man was knocked backwards, body all bent.

With a thud, the man fell down on his back.

The 4 waited there, watching the man, especially his face.

The man got up, arms and legs pushing, face down. Hotaru breathed in and held his breath. The man's face was finally shown directly at them.

It was silent for a while. The leader nin-dog's voice broke in the silence. "This…this… is the thief we've been looking for."

Instructor Katashi's eyes widened, "This man! Of this skill level!"

The man smiled like a devil at them… and charged.

**END OF PART ONE**


	9. Part II Chapter 9

**In Part One…**

With a thud, the man fell down on his back.

The 4 waited there, watching the man, especially his face.

The man got up, arms and legs pushing, face down. Hotaru breathed in and held his breath. The man's face was finally shown directly at them.

It was silent for a while. The leader nin-dog's voice broke in the silence. "This…this… is the thief we've been looking for."

Instructor Katashi's eyes widened, "This man! Of this skill level!"

The man smiled like a devil at them… and charged.

The man's speed was somehow increased now and before Katashi could even move, he had darted across the road at Katashi. The man's arm punched upwards at Katashi's face and instinctively, Katashi blocked it.

Hotaru and Ichirou started running towards them, kunai ready. _I can't risk hitting instructor Katashi if they make any sudden movements_, Ichirou thought and grunted.

Katashi and the man held their ground for a moment. Slowly, inch by inch, the man pushed Katashi back. His grin grew wider with every push, and soon, Katashi was barely standing up. With his other hand, the man grabbed a kunai out and lunged at Katashi's stomach.

"No!" Hotaru cried, and he leaped at the man, hand and kunai outstretched at the man. Hotaru's hand flew forward at the man… inches away… _BAM!_ the man leg kicked backwards at him into Hotaru's chest and with a loud gasp, Hotaru was knocked onto the ground. Using the slight distraction, Katashi swirled around, hand still holding the man's, and his leg twirled towards the man.

At the last second, the man leaped backwards and in the air, threw his kunai at… Aimi. Not expecting the sudden change of targets, Aimi could do nothing. The kunai having unpredictable speed, she couldn't dodge it in time. Her arms wounded up to her face as the kunai sliced itself in her arms.

Everyone's, with the exception of the man, eyes opened wide as they watched her get knocked back by the blow, and the blood dripping out.

_Thump_. _Thump_. _Thump_. Hotaru could hear the hooves of the bandits' horses. The burning, the blood, his dead parents. Hotaru blanked out, frozen with fear on the spot, barely hearing but not responding to the calls of Katashi and Ichirou to go help Aimi, unaware of the man on a frenzy, near defeating them.

While Katashi and Ichirou fought the man, Hotaru stood there. He couldn't move – his body wouldn't respond. Images flashed through his head of his past.

His finger moved slightly. _I won't let that happen again_. "I won't let that happen again!" Hotaru screamed into the sky. He began to change – his eyes, and not just the pupil, but his whole eyes turned a light blue color, and they grew wide and sharp, like a maniac beast. _Crack!_ One of Hotaru's bones had cracked, yet he couldn't feel it… he couldn't feel anything right now but rage.

Hotaru rose to the air a few inches and he could hear more _cracks!_ as his bones began to shift into longer ends. The fighting stopped and everyone looked at Hotaru. When the process was done, he was a completely new person – like a maddened hawk.

Aimi gasped and crawled back in fear. Katashi began to think, think of what this was. _This could be bad_, he thought. He darted left and right to Hotaru, preparing himself for any sudden movements. He was about 3 meters away when…

_Swfroom!_ With a sudden gust of wind, Hotaru blasted right at the man with inhumane speed, shoulder knocking instructor Katashi back. Ichirou saw the charge and jumped back as fast as he could.

Hotaru stopped suddenly right at the man and winded his arm back – the man only smiled – and hurled it right at the man's stomach. The man's body curved back as he was tossed like a little doll into a tree. His body's impact shattered the tree and he fell down heavily.

Ichirou stood there, speechless, watching Hotaru – a demon – fight the man. _What is wrong with this kid!?_

Hotaru leaped meters high into the air gracefully. The man slowly got up and smiled. Blood dripped from his mouth and face and he wiped it off. He looked at Hotaru in the air as his hands and claws flung up, ready to pounce the man with full power.

And he came down, claws pointing down at the man, yet he did nothing but smile and wait. At the last moment, Katashi leaped up and kicked Hotaru in the back – the man's eyes flashed open – and Hotaru was knocked down onto the ground. As he fell down, Hotaru spun upwards and stopped right before touching the ground. He was flying.

The man grunted and waved his hand down. Blue chakra formed around his hand as he curled it into a fist. Then, he charged at Katashi, unaware of the man behind him.

Ichirou snarled, but he knew he couldn't do anything this far away. The man was meters away from Katashi now; his fist moved back as his body dashed at him. Katashi finally turned around – too late.

The man's fist charged forward at Katashi, wide-eyed. Inches away… _BAM!_ Aimi had slid across the field and jumped in front of Katashi, taking the hit. The hand connected with her and she was instantly blown back by the chakra and power of the man.

_Now's my chance to make my move_, Ichirou thought. He jumped into the air, flipped and his leg extended out for a downward smash.

Meters away, Hotaru's head gazed at the battle like a hawk, and jet across the field with a gust of wind. Ichirou saw the incoming Hotaru and grunted as he tried to flip himself out of the way.

Hotaru's free falling hands smashed into Ichirou's side and he was knocked down with a big thump. Not stopping, Hotaru stretched his fist out and slammed into the man right into the man's ready arms. They locked down for a second but suddenly, Hotaru's left arm swiped down and the blue chakra extended into a wing.

The man noticed the new threat and tried to jump away, but Hotaru had locked him down. He struggled for a second until he saw that it was no use. Hotaru's extended wing stretched past the man and curved back, wrapping around the man. His eyes widened as he was lifted into the air.

Hotaru spun around sideways and after a couple of times, hurled him down onto the ground… _BOOM!_ the man's body twirled down with incredible speed and pushed itself into the ground, denting it. Hotaru landed on the ground softly and waited for some movement.

Suddenly, a hole cracked in the man's face. Hotaru winced and saw what was happening. The man's body crumpled in and revealed 3 exploding tags there. Hotaru roared into the sky – and the tags exploded, right next to him.


	10. Chapter 10

Fire, earth, water, and air are probably some of the most common elements of the earth known to people. They each serve their purpose in life, have their advantages, and have their weaknesses. Of course, some weaknesses for each element are – each other.

For example, water usually defeats fire, but what about fire and air? Which is the stronger element? That… was what Hotaru was just about to find out.

Even before the exploding fire began to expound out, Hotaru, or rather, the demon in him, sucked in a whirlpool of air, and blasted it out at the fire. The force of the two blows knocked Hotaru up into the air, but he maintained balance, and kept on blowing at the fire, like an enraged dragon.

From a safe distance, the other 3 of the squad watched as fire, smoke, and unexplainable gushes of air clouded their sight. They did not know what to do, and they watched helplessly, waiting for any sign of… anything.

The air from Hotaru's mouth kept on flowing out, trying to contain the fire, but the 3 tags were too powerful, and in a matter of seconds, flames engulfed Hotaru's entire body, sending him flying out of the clouds of smoke and fog.

Hotaru's burnt up body spun around as it landed, this time, heavily on the floor. Aimi rushed over to him and tried to touch him, but her hand quickly retreated when it felt the burning heat. Ichirou and Katashi were worried, but nonetheless, kept guard for the criminal ninja.

Thoughts and questions flooded into Aimi's mind as she studied Hotaru's body. Even through the darkened burn marks, she could see that the skin and body was completely healthy. She gasped in surprise as his body began to shift back into his real form. When it was finished, grotesque images filled her mind.

The blow to his _real_ body was too severe, even in a demon form. His left arm was entangled too much sideways, if you catch on with me. Patches of heat and slightly burning flames were everywhere on his body – his arms, legs, neck, and face. Skin turned to ash in seconds and fell down. When the fires on his body cooled down, Hotaru looked even scarier than in his demon form.

And suddenly, it began to heal unexplainably. The burnt skin mended itself, ashes rising away, and skin returning to normal color. Aimi's eyes grew wide with shock, _what's happening?_ In a matter of seconds, Hotaru's body could pass as a normal kid who got beat up, instead of a ninja who was burnt crisp.

Meanwhile, Ichirou and Katashi searched around the area, looking for the man who caused this. Katashi stopped moving, he had heard something… He closed his eyes and began to concentrate, looking for a sound. And then it was there, a tiny little _crack_ing sound… from under.

His eyes grew wide in alarm, slid a kunai down his hand, and leaped backwards _just_ the man lunged out of the ground underneath, arm stretched out ready for a punch. His fists flared a purple color as it charged forward at Katashi's body.

The instructor swung his kunai at the incoming hand – _PANG!_ – the kunai was deflected off as if the fist was metal. Katashi kicked his leg at the hand with all his strength. Just as the leg was about to touch the hand, the man's fist rotated to the side and grabbed Katashi's leg. The man sneered viciously, spun in the air, and hurled him straight down at the ground.

Katashi landed on his head and his body bounced heavily on the floor. Ichirou took the events as a distraction and leaped into the air, kunai and shuriken in hand. With a large snarl, he hurled them at the man with accuracy.

The man spun around – suddenly, Katashi's body erupted into a tree stump – and the real Katashi appeared right next to the man, and wrapped himself around him, turning the man's back at the kunai. The blades struck deep into the man's back and he grunted in pain. With his chakra-infused hand, he elbowed Katashi with all his strength and Katashi was sent flying back.

Ichirou gracefully landed on the floor and his hands moved into hand signals. The man stared at him for a moment, and snarled.

"Fire Style Jutsu!" Ichirou slid to a stop, sucked in a large breath, chest expanding out, and blew it out. Flames erupted out of his mouth and blew towards the man who, instead of running away, started to run _towards_ the fire. The fire completely covered the man. Smoke and ash were everywhere and the surrounding lands were burnt to the core.

When the fire died finally died out… there stood the man, grinning just like before. Suddenly, he leaped up high on to a tree and saluted them, as mockery. He spoke for the first time ever, and Ichirou, Aimi, and Katashi listened intently.

"I am Natsuki, follower of the Tsuki. You will be seeing me again soon…"

He gave his widest devilish smile at them, and with that, the man dashed away into the falling sunset.


	11. Chapter 11

"Is he ok?" a voice came out of nowhere, filled with motherly concern.

Hotaru heard murmured voices in the background. Then the same voice spoke again, "How bad is it? Bring him into the emergency room."

He was lying on something soft and he could feel himself moving. Footsteps echoed to the sides. He struggled to open one eyelid. The surroundings were strange to him – white walls. _Am I dead_, Hotaru wondered, panicking. He willed his body up an inch – "He's moving!" – and he fell down just as quickly, world and mind blacking out.

_Beep beep, beeeep…_ The sound continued on and on, unendingly. Hotaru could feel something on his face, like a suction cup, and he could hear his own breathing - long, deep gasps struggling to keep going, yet his body urged on. After a few minutes of silent peace, Hotaru slightly opened his left eye and looked around.

He was on a cot in a fairly small room that was white everywhere. The walls, ceiling, and floor were painted white. Strange devices were in one corner - _that must be where all the sounds are_, he thought – and there were wires connecting to them. His eyes traced the path of the wires… leading to him.

His eyes widened in fear at first – then in relief. _It means I'm alive_, he thought. He almost cried out in happiness but as he did, his throat felt as if it collapsed on him and unbearable pain enveloped his throat and mouth areas. Hotaru stopped moving for a few minutes, trying to take everything in. His clueless-ness finally found the answer – he was in a hospital!

_Creak!_ Hotaru could hear a sound coming from the near end of the room and saw a door swing open. By now, his open eye was getting more exhausted by the seconds, and barely stayed awake. A woman dressed in a white dress came near him and he could hear a slight whisper, "Oh, he's awake."

She pulled out a needle – Hotaru gasped slightly, but the woman didn't notice – and she swiftly injected it into Hotaru's arm. His eyes widened for a second and quickly closed. A calm serenity overtook him as he fell asleep.

**3 Days Later…**

Hotaru's eye peeked open with a new burst of energy. It was the same room as before, 3 days ago (which was, to Hotaru, a minute or so). He turned his head to the left and saw a clock there that read: 8: 49.

Suddenly, the door slammed open and Hotaru saw Ichirou and Aimi rush in – well, just Aimi. They huddled around him and Aimi burst out before anyone else could say anything, "Are you ok!? How are you!?" She exploded with nonstop questions at him.

"Ayahhh! Yeah, I'm fine! I'm fine." Breathing heavily, Aimi calmed down and smiled. Hotaru turned to Ichirou and waited for him to say something. They stared at each other for a moment and Ichirou, unable to bear Hotaru's face looking at him, broke the silence.

"Feel better," he said in a quiet voice, and with that, he silently left the room. Hotaru watched him leave, crazy with anger at Ichirou's rudeness. Hotaru leaped up off the cot and ran towards the door.

As he went, he yelled to Ichirou, "Hey, you! Come bac-" a sudden pain in his throat stopped his words and body, and he fell to the floor, coughing. Aimi rushed over and helped him up, Hotaru didn't notice it, but Aimi's face showed her care for Hotaru for the first time. When he turned to her, her face quickly changed. He scratched the back of his head and leaned back awkwardly, "Well, Aimi, uhh…"

Feeling the same way, she nodded and quietly whispered, "Feel better." She jogged out the door and down the hallway. Hotaru sighed and went back to the cot. _Just another day_, he thought, and fell asleep.

2 days later, Hotaru was almost completely healed, a surprise for everyone. As a short celebration, the 4 members of the squad ate out for dinner.

During the middle of the meal, Hotaru spoke out, "So, that man, Natsuki or whatever, what did he want?"

Aimi and Ichirou stopped eating and watched their instructor, waiting for an answer. Katashi gulped down his food and laid down his bowl. "Well, before we get any deeper, I want to tell you that the whole entire thing was a trap…" The 3 young ninjas stared even deeper at instructor Katashi. "And we fell for it."


	12. Chapter 12

The 3 ninjas stared at their instructor with blanks faces. Hotaru was the first to speak his mind, "What do you mean? From what I remember, that coward ran away from us!"

Katashi eyed Hotaru with a grim face, "Did he?" Hotaru sat back and listened. "Do you remember how the man just suddenly left us?" Hotaru, Aimi, and Ichirou nodded, and he continued. "Well, it wasn't because he was a coward, but because he had wanted something. And during our fight, he got it."

Ichirou thought for a moment with no answer to his confusion, and asked, "What did he want? And how did he get it? There's no way the person we fought was a clone, even if he was more powerful than us." Hotaru and Aimi nodded as they, too, found no solution to the mystery.

"We, meaning the police, researched this man, 'Natsuki', and found interesting results. At first, there was nothing substantial to our chase, but when we dug further, we found out that he used to be an instructor here in Konoha, more than 30 years ago. And he always had an assistant with him whose name we do not know."

Aimi was the first of the 3 to make the connection, "So his assistant was, or is, more of an accomplice. He must've stolen it while we were distracted by the fighting." Hotaru nodded as if he understood what was happening.

Aimi inquired further, "So what _did_ the man want?" As they talked, the restaurant began to clear of people one by one. Soon, only a few people were left and it became ghastly quiet.

Katashi lowered his voice as he spoke, "I guess its time you know. The whole story about the man stealing documents… was fake – well, most of it at least. The man _did_ steal some documents, but they weren't normal ones from a normal person. They were release pages for the bingo book of a man, Natsuki, who had recently raided a town south of Konoha with some other ruthless bandits."

Ichirou suddenly sat up, intrigued by this spark of information. "Really? That's interesting…" As Ichirou laid back, lost in thought, Katashi eyed him suspiciously. When he saw that Aimi and Hotaru were still staring at him, waiting for him to continue, he spoke, "Those release pages were stolen, but we don't know why, they aren't accepted except by the Hokage's signature. Also, we don't know who made those release pages, unless someone in Konoha is in league with the man."

The aura between the 4 grew quiet and grim as they spoke of this subject. Finally, the instructor got up and as cheerfully as he could, said, "Well, I think this was certainly a productive and celebrative dinner. See you guys tomorrow." He winked and began to leave when Hotaru sleepily murmured, "Ok, we'll leave the tab on you, instructor."

Katashi turned around, "Now wait a minu-" and he froze. The other 3 ninjas were gone. He sighed and took the bill. "WHAT!!!"

Already in the street outside, the other 3 ninjas chuckled softly to themselves as they listened to their instructor's cries. As they walked back to their homes, Ichirou suddenly stopped. When Aimi and Hotaru finally noticed, they too stopped and looked at Ichirou. Hotaru stared at him for a moment until Aimi finally asked the question Hotaru was thinking of, "Where are you going?"

Ichirou tried to look innocent and bored, but the other 2 kids could see right through his lie. He scratched his head and said, "Uh… I'm just gonna' take a walk before I go home." Hotaru eyed him like a hawk, searching for a loose emotion that would tell them something, and after a moment, shrugged, and continued walking.

Aimi stayed a while longer and after the silence, said, "Ok, then, see you tomorrow." Ichirou nodded and they separated paths.

About 15 minutes later, when Hotaru arrived home, his grandfather was already getting ready to sleep. "Hey, grandpa." His grandfather nodded and in a daze, walked to his room. Hotaru undressed into his pajamas, brushed his teeth, and went to his bed. After a few calm minutes, he fell into a comfortable slumber.

"_Mr. President!"_ Hotaru could hear voices in his dreams. _"Hotaru!_" Hotaru's sleeping body jolted a little, hearing his name like that was strange, even for a dream. _"Hotaru, are you there?"_ Still asleep, his body shook a little and his mind thought, _that voice is familiar… and it seems so real._

_BAM!_ Hotaru leaped up, startled by the sudden commotion. He got out of his bed and into the hallway. When he reached the door and opened it, he saw his grandpa there, too. They looked at each other and nodded – someone was here. With the speed and stealth of a ninja, the 2 leaped down from the stairway like cats, making barely and sound when they touched the floor. They each took one corner and slowly approached the door. Concealed in shadows, an ordinary human would probably never sight the ninjas.

As they neared the front, they saw that the door was knocked down, letting the bright moonlight in. Hotaru crept backwards as his grandpa covered the front. A hand behind him reached out and tapped his shoulder.

Hotaru's eyes widened and his heart almost stopped, frozen with unexplainable fear. Then, the dark figure behind him spoke, "Hello, Hotaru."

"Instructor Daichi!" Hotaru gasped and his heart slowed down. "What are you doing here?! You almost scared me to death!" He turned around and saw his old instructor's mischievous face, grinning widely.

"I got you, seems like you need some training again." Suddenly, a voice called out behind them, "And I got you."

Hotaru's grandpa appeared out of the shadows. Daichi chuckled, "Looks like you still got it, old man." The 3 shared a laugh and Daichi finally spoke, "Ok, now to business." The other 2 waited patiently. "The Academy will fix that door." They once again burst out with laughter at the not-so-funny joke. "For real now, Ichirou has run away."

Hotaru, confused at this sudden news, asked, "What do you mean? I was with him about an hour ago!"

Daichi nodded and began to explain what had happened. "Well, we got the news just 5 minutes ago that Ichirou had escaped the town, reported by 2 of the gate guards. And if you don't believe me, talk to your instructor, right now in the hospital due to Ichirou."

Hotaru's face grew wide with horror, "What happened?"

His old instructor's voice grew low, "Well, before going to the hospital, your instructor said that Ichirou had been privately speaking to him about Natsuki and his recent bandit raid, and as they were parting ways, Ichirou caught him off guard and knocked him out."

Hotaru sat down on a chair, trying to absorb what had just been explained to him. _Man,_ he thought, _I wonder what's going on with Ichirou._ Interrupting his thoughts, Daichi cheerfully said, "But don't worry, we'll find him and bring him back." Hotaru nodded and went up this room, leaving the other 2 to discuss the matter. When he got up, he entered the room and quietly closed his door.

_No_, he thought, _I have to get him back myself_. And with that, Hotaru packed up his things, and leaped out of the window into the dark night, unnoticed by anyone except for the strange little owl that was standing outside his door the whole entire conversation. When Hotaru was out of sight, the owl flapped its wings wide and flew out of town, like a ninja, concealed by the shadows…


	13. Chapter 13

_Where should I go first_, thought Hotaru, as he silently walked down the path, _where would Ichirou go_? After walking for about 10 minutes with no answer to his puzzling questions, he decided to go to Ichirou's house. It was about 2 o'clock in the morning now and probably no one was awake – nevertheless, he would have to be quiet.

He neared Ichirou's house and went up to the front door. His hand slowly grasped the doorknob and turned it sideways – it was locked. Hotaru backed out slowly and looked around for a minute, searching for a way in. Finally, his eyes rested on an open window on the second floor. He nodded to himself in reassurance, and after a quick breath, leaped up into the air.

His body flowed in the air for a second and gravity did its job, pulling him down. With expertise, Hotaru landed swiftly and silently on the roof with just a quiet pat. Certain that no one had seen or heard him, he climbed down from the roof and grabbed onto the edge. He sighted the open window, and positioned himself to jump in. He swung his body to and fro a few times, and when he had enough momentum, he let go of the edge and leaped in, legs first.

Perfect aiming – Hotaru landed in the room and rolled heard first to muzzle his landing. He rolled quietly for a few feet and then stopped. He lifted his head up and saw that the room was clear. Hotaru climbed up from the floor and took a good look at the room – bed, desk, chair, some shelves, nothing special.

After a few moments of scouting and seeing that this wasn't Ichirou's room, he gingerly opened the door and crept out into the hall. It was a narrow hallway with a wooden floor and, unfortunately, many doors. Hotaru reached for his 'ninja instincts' and began to think, w_here is Ichirou's room?_ After a few moments, Hotaru figured it out.

He started to yell triumphantly but caught himself just as he started. Hotaru took a deep breath and continued down the hall. _I remember Ichirou saying that his room had no window and was near the stairs_, Hotaru thought, _so it must be…_ He turned a corner and saw 2 doors on each side and the front leading to the stairs… _this one_.

Hotaru chose the left door, and quietly twisted the doorknob. With a slight creaking noise, the door opened up. Slowly, he peeked his head in and he gazed at the room. _This is it_, he thought. The room was just like any other room in the house – except it had Ichirou's belongings. Hotaru looked around for a second and then moved in.

The room seemed normal – pictures up, room cleaned up, folded cloths… except for his desk. He nodded and jogged swiftly to the desk. Papers and books were scattered all around the desk. Hotaru's eyes widened as they set on a newspaper titled, "Bandit Raid at Arata Town". Suddenly, a flashback of memories flowed through Hotaru's mind and he thought, a_t the restaurant, Ichirou was suddenly interested when instructor Katashi spoke about the raid_!

His eyes scanned over the numerous papers and books on the recent raid and they all brought the horrifying news – the leader was Natsuki. Finally, it hit him – Ichirou was chasing the man. But why? That would come later, Hotaru decided. First of all, he had to get Ichirou back.

With new determination, Hotaru dashed out of the room and window, not caring about the sound he would make anymore. He landed loudly on the floor and instantly continued running, running to save Ichirou. He reached the main gate and before the guards could even respond the strange kid, Hotaru was out of Konoha. _I'm gonna find Ichirou_, Hotaru thought, _I'm gonna search every town and place until I find him!_

And so he did. After a few hours of endless running, Hotaru spotted a town. Breathless, he urged his body to an inn and he slumbered to sleep.

Early in the morning, at about 4:00, Hotaru suddenly woke up. His eyes flew open and his ears sharpened themselves. A voice was heard, speaking to, it seems, 2 other men, right outside Hotaru's door. He froze and listened intently to the conversation. The second voice who spoke was indistinct to Hotaru.

Soon, the chatter became a drone and Hotaru could barely make out the words. One leaked out – Arata. Hotaru's eyes widened and he shook an inch. The conversation instantly stopped and his body grew cold. He dared not move or even breath – he could tell that these men were dangerous.

After a few unbearable moments of fear, the 3 people outside continued talking. Hotaru's heart calmed down and he closed his eyes, once again sharpening his ears. The first voice spoke again – Ichirou's voice.

Hotaru's first curled into a first – this was it. _I need perfect timing_, thought Hotaru. He counted to 3… and leaped up from his bed. The blanket flew away and he twirled unto the floor, landing swiftly on his feet. The 3 outside heard and they began to dash away; a public area was too dangerous for them to do anything. A kunai slid down Hotaru's shirt and his hand grasped it firmly.

"Ichirou!" Hotaru slammed the door open and turned left to where the footsteps were heard. No one was there. The sounds of the footsteps suddenly died out like a flame centered in raging winds. The neighboring doors opened and people appeared out, peering left and right, wondering what had caused all the commotion.

Complaints began to start and Hotaru swiftly crept back into his room before anyone saw him there. _I know it was him_, Hotaru thought confidently, _I just know it_! But in his heart, it was a different matter. In his heart, fear began to take over his determination. But still… he would never giver up.


	14. Chapter 14

**Authors Note: If you don't remember, read the end of chapter 12 again.**

Something rung through Hotaru's ear, through the canals and into the (Ok, I won't go that far) his head. Was it a dream? _No, stupid,_ he though, _it's the alarm clock_. He yawned and sat up slowly as his arm reached over to the clock to press it off. The hand pushed it down and Hotaru flopped back onto the bed.

_Brrrrrrring!_ Hotaru's eyes creaked open. _Weird_, though the puzzled boy, _I thought I just turned it off_. He sat up again and turned to the alarm clock. Sure enough, the alarm was on (or is it off). Still, the sound echoed around the rooms and he could hear the vibrations outside.

If it wasn't his clock it was a… FIRE! Hotaru burst out of his bed with his pajamas and instantly shook them off. He shoved all his belongings into his bag and quickly put on some clothes. In a matter of life-and-death seconds, he had packed up all his things and he ran out of the room with the speed of a ninja being chased by ferocious dogs.

Hotaru slammed the door open and skidded to a stop in the hallway. He looked both ways – the left was burning with fire and the roof was collapsing; the right side had some minor debris scattered around. _I'll take my chances with the clear, right side_, thought Hotaru.

He dashed down the hallway as he zippered his sweater up. _Wahhh!_ A cry was heard in the room to the right. It was a desperate and helpless voice and Hotaru's good nature couldn't resist helping. He barged in the room and frantically looked around. His eyes rested on a little child hiding in the corner.

Hotaru started to dash across the floor when the roof above suddenly collapsed down. Flames poured through the opening and pervaded like water on the floor. Hotaru bit his lip and wondered what to do – save the child and possible end up dead, ending his quest; or just escape with your life.

With no more time to think, he made his decision. Hotaru took one look at the child… and ran out the door. He passed into the hallway and suddenly stopped. With a snarl, he charged down the hallway, to the door and in, and leaped straight over the devouring fire!

Barely reaching over the flames, he landed roughly on the other side, rolling down. After a few seconds, the consequences took place. His feet – and privates – were slightly burned and it turned a shade of black. It stung Hotaru's legs but nevertheless, he gingerly grabbed the weeping boy and whirled around just as the floor beneath them broke.

"Ahhh!" he cried, as he and the child fell down. He wrapped himself around the other and braced them for the impact. With a loud thud, he landed on the floor with, luckily, only slight traces of fire. Hotaru took a second to recover and then he jumped up.

Hotaru searched his surroundings for an escape – nothing. Suddenly, cries and yells echoed slightly from affront. _It must be the people outside_, he though. He put the child down on the floor and it began to cry again. When their eyes met, the boy saw the determination in Hotaru's eyes, and he quieted down.

"Clone Jutsu!" yelled Hotaru, as his hands moved into signs. Smoke erupted from the ground out of nowhere, and when the mist cleared, 4 clones were standing next to him. "Ok," one of them shouted, "let's do it!"

Hotaru nodded and picked up the child. After a countdown to 3, they charged out the front, knocking everything as they went. Tendrils of fire and debris shot out at them as if the burning house was alive, and one by one, the clones of Hotaru disappeared. Soon, only one was remaining – Hotaru.

With a shout, he huddled the child closely to him, and crashed through the weakened wall. Light shone on him – they made it!

_Tham!_ Hotaru landed on his back and slid a few feet. His skin was colored ash and the remnants of his outer clothing were burnt off. However, the child was safe. A woman – most likely his mother – rushed over and hugged it tightly. "Thank you young man, I cannot think you enough!" She began to give her gratitude to him when she suddenly saw his critical condition. "Someone get a doctor here!"

The townspeople, who were staring at Hotaru, finally got to their senses and began to call for a doctor. In a daze, Hotaru limped around, trying to make sense of what had happened. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a shadowy figure near some trees – Ichirou.

He tried to gasp, but in vain. He collapsed promptly onto the floor and stared at Ichirou. Ichirou returned the stare with a steady gaze. However, Hotaru could tell that it was a pleading face and he got the message clearly – _I'm sorry_.

So close to getting Ichirou back, Hotaru willed his body to get up. The town gasped in surprise and even Ichirou backed out a little. Ichirou's face grew dark, and the 2 men from before appeared behind him. They grabbed his shoulder and he nodded. They leaped out of sight from Hotaru, but he kept on limping towards the spot.

Within a few seconds, he fell on the ground. From afar, an owl gazed at the stumbling boy intently. A voice seemed to appear out of its chest. "How is the boy?"

The owl's ears suddenly flashed red and another lighter voice spoke, "He got a little burnt but otherwise, he's ok."

It paused for a few moments, and the first voice spoke again, "Hide his body somewhere. We don't want to attract anyone. Make sure he doesn't see you." The red eyes flashed once again and it seemed to nod.

Its wings burst wide open and it flew high into the sky, gaining flight. A cloud of smoke suddenly shot out of the air. For a few seconds, the fog stayed there, but it slowly dispersed… revealing a man.

The strange figure was wearing a silver robe with red moons all over it. Unnoticed by everyone else, he leapt over the buildings until he was on top of Hotaru, a few feet down. He sneered, and his hands performed unknown seals at an incredible pace.

Suddenly, hands of earth appeared from the ground around Hotaru and reached over him. Hotaru's eyes grew wide and he tried to kick himself away. His body lifted up an inch for a second, and the hands fell straight down lightning fast. The grasped his body and in a few seconds, had enveloped Hotaru in the earth, no longer visible to anyone.

Satisfied with the results, the man nodded and walked away. Miles away, Ichirou and the 2 men were jogging to their base. Miles away, a young boy named Hotaru suddenly appeared from an opening in the ground and landed on a dirt road. Miles away in Konoha, the ninjas were frantically discussing the missing boys. Miles away, a more sinister clan called the Tsuki plotted their next plan. Things were looking grim.


	15. Chapter 15

**1 minute earlier…**

Hotaru couldn't see anything for it was pitch black. He could feel himself being pulled by something though. Dirt, rocks, and other dwellers of the earth brushed on him as he passed them. Hotaru dared not open his mouth, afraid that something would happen. All he could do was wait.

Suddenly, his feet felt nothing, next his body – was he dead? His body ejected out from the ground and light shined all over him. As he was temporarily blinded by the sudden bursts of light, he thought to himself, _is this heaven_?

_Tham_! With a loud thud, Hotaru landed on the ground. _Guess not_, Hotaru concluded to himself. He pushed himself off of the ground and found that he was breathing heavily. His head began to swirl and his legs felt numb. 

When he finally looked at himself, he saw that he was scarred all over – probably by the rocks and other things. He stumbled back and forth as he pushed his body on. It was truly incredible; even after being burned and mysteriously pulled down into the ground, Hotaru had the will to move on.

For another few minutes, Hotaru walked down the dirt road, swaying from side to side. He had no idea where he was, but he wouldn't stop. Finally, his body took over his will power and he dropped down onto the ground, breathless. There was simply no energy left in him. His gaze grew dizzy and hazed. The last thing he saw before passing out was Aimi running towards him. Aimi… how strange. How could she be here?

**Present Time…**

Hotaru's eyes flashed open and he jolted up. "So you're finally back," a voice said from the side. 

He turned his head to left and saw a girl sitting next to him. It took Hotaru a moment to realize who it was – Aimi! Hotaru cried out in surprise, "Aimi, what are you doing here?! How did you find me?"

Aimi smiled, though it was a weak one, and said, "I followed you the night you left town. I heard about what had happened to Ichirou and I decided to help."

He nodded – nothing less was expected from Aimi. "I suppose it would be better if you came. How's instructor Katashi?"

"Better," came Aimi's simple reply, "Now are we going to find Ichirou or not?" Hotaru pushed the blanket away when he suddenly remembered all that had happened – his body was in no condition to move.

He started to ask about that but Aimi quickly interrupted him, "I already took care of it. I'm not _completely_ useless. I know some medical jutsus." She got off her chair and began to walk out the door, "See you outside."

Hotaru gazed at her leaving in shock and thought, _since when did Aimi get so cool_? He quickly readied himself and he dashed out of the small, abandoned cottage they were in. The journey was beginning.

For the next 3 hours, Hotaru and Ichirou headed from town to town, asking everyone if they knew where any sort of bandits were. However, a hundred feet away or so, Ichirou and the 2 other bandits watched them consistently. 

The presumed leader spoke, "Ichirou, these are your friends, what do you want to do with them?" Ichirou felt hollow inside, he couldn't kill his friends. But it had to be done in order to finish his final steps. He swallowed and turned to the man, "We have to take care of them. One of you stays behind with me. I'll get Hotaru." Even as he said it, he felt guilty. 

The men eyed him, unsure of whether or not they could trust the kid. Ichirou whipped a fierce gaze at them and hissed, "Well?"

They weren't afraid of him, just shocked at the sudden burst of anger. They nodded and the leader leapt away, continuing to base. Calmly, Ichirou walked out of the forest and into the clearing. The other bandit took a different approach and crept down the forest, waiting to ambush the girl.

Hotaru and Aimi continued down the road, unaware of the 2 rogue ninjas, waiting to possibly kill them. "Hotaru." A voice rang down the silent path. Even as the figure spoke, they both knew who it was – Ichirou. They turned around and looked at Ichirou. He was different, almost evil looking now. 

Aimi's face lost its determination and she plainly stared at him. "Don't even bother, Aimi," interrupted Hotaru, "we can worry about him _after_ we bring him back." Instantly, Aimi returned to her fighting self and, though they weren't expecting a fight, they both went into a fighting stance. 

Suddenly, the ground beneath them burst open and crumbled down. From underneath, the bandit appeared, flying upwards towards them. Aimi and Hotaru leapt backwards to the side of the road. Clouds of dust covered the area, blocking everyone's view. 

After a few seconds of silence, it cleared and they could see their new battlefield. The ground beneath them had been churned and pieced into a deformed place. Hotaru snarled and thought, _this man is strong_. 

A kunai slid down Hotaru's hand and into his arm. With a grunt, he jumped up into the air, well over the man, and landed behind him. He twirled around and threw the kunai at the bandit. _Pang!_ A shuriken came flying between them and it precisely deflected the kunai straight into the ground. 

Hotaru turned to the right and saw Ichirou there, weapons in hand. He searched for a meaning for this and when Ichirou spoke, it was clear what choice he had made. "I am your opponent, Hotaru." The voice was calm yet piercing. 

"Don't worry about me;" said Aimi, with a reassuring touch in her voice, "I can handle this man." The bandit snorted but readied himself nevertheless. These were still ninjas, even if just kids.

Hotaru nodded and took his time to prepare himself. Ichirou gave him the time and he stood there for a few moments, waiting. Aimi drew a kunai out of her bag and the bandit took out a short sword from his sheath on his back. The sword suddenly began to change colors – red, purple, blue, and so on. Confusion took over Aimi's senses and the world began to change. 

The ground around turned to flowers and everything else disappeared except for her, the flowers… and Ichirou. He was gently smiling and walking to her. For a moment, she believed the fantasy. She began to laugh and run towards him. When they were a few feet away, a sword appeared in Ichirou's hand and the cold reality hit her, literally. 

Aimi realized a little too late and she tried to evade the attack. She shifted her body to the right, only dodging slightly. The sword thrust forward and sliced cleanly into her hip. She cried out in agony as it retracted itself back to its owner's hands – the bandit, not Ichirou. 

Blood dripped down her side as she leapt back from another technique. _I gotta' get out of this genjutsu_, she thought. Her hand moved into the seal and she yelled out, "Release!" Instantly, the real world took form again. The man was still standing there with his sword – stained with blood. 

Once again, Aimi's hands moved into seals. She didn't know medical ninjutsu for no reason. "Palm Healing Jutsu!" yelled Aimi. Chakra formed over her hand and she pressed it onto her right hip. Energy flew all around, mending the wound. In a few seconds, her physical shape was back to normal. However, the healing jutsu had taken a lot of her chakra.

Hotaru watched them in concern. This fight could get bad. Aimi gave him a face and he nodded. It was his turn now. He gasped in surprise. Ichirou was standing right in front of him. He snarled and struck his kunai at Hotaru.

With sheer luck, Hotaru dropped down onto the floor in time and he kicked his feet up. Ichirou grabbed Hotaru's legs in an instant. Hotaru pushed himself into the air using his hands and stabbed his kunai at Ichirou. 

He simply evaded it and he hurled Hotaru onto the ground. Hotaru landed on the floor, quite gently, and he quickly got back up. They paced themselves around in a circle as Aimi and the bandit clashed at each other repeatedly. The fight was now considered dangerous. One lucky strike could end up messy.

Ichirou's hands moved into quick seals and his hand flew up to his mouth as he yelled, "Fire Style Jutsu!" Flame erupted from his mouth into a raging wave of infernal flames. Ichirou had definitely improved his skill with this. 

Hotaru shielded himself with his arms and jumped back, barely dodging the nub of the fire. Quick shots of flames burst everywhere, burning the nearby ground crisp. Some of the fire reached Hotaru, catching his arms on slight flames. Hotaru quickly brushed the fire off on the ground, but it still hurt.

Like a dragon, Ichirou followed Hotaru with his devouring flames. Hotaru leapt back and forth, urging his body to move. After about 6 seconds, Ichirou was out of breath. He slowly inhaled and exhaled. His efforts had made a mark. 

The ground around was scorched black with smudged smoke and fire still there, and Hotaru had been burned. Meanwhile, Aimi and the bandit kept on fighting. It was obvious the man was winning. Aimi was cut and bruised all over. All credit to her, she kept on going.

Hotaru and Ichirou once again circled around, breathing heavily. Shrouded in the forests, a man suddenly appeared out of a tree. The owl was also there, and the 2 watched the fight intently. The owl's eyes flashed red and quietly spoke, saying, "This will be an interesting fight."

The man, cloaked in black with yellow moons on them, nodded, and he headed away deep into the forest. The owl snorted and turned back to the fight. This _was_ going to be interesting.

**Phew! My longest chapter yet (4 pages)! I think. Part two is nearing an end. Next chapter might be final for part two and it will be called: The Demon Awakens. Please R&R! **


	16. Chapter 16

Author's Note: This may be sounding like Naruto, but trust me, it won't be like that later

Author's Note: This may be sounding like Naruto, but trust me, it won't be like that later. It will change later on.

Chapter Sixteen: The Demon Awakens

_Right, left, right, attack!_ Aimi focused deeply on her patterns from training. _Don't stop_, she told herself. She consecutively slashed at the bandit with all her might while dodging the man's own attacks.

A sneer appeared on his face when he saw that she began to slow down. It was time to end this. Aimi's kunai came down at the man, cleanly slicing through the air. The bandit fell backwards purposely, evading the attack and his foot dug firmly into the ground. With a swift movement, his body dashed to the side, sword ready in his hand.

Aimi gasped and caught herself from falling – but it was too late. The sword swerved behind her back and came in, gutting her straight through her back and stomach. A loud _crack_ing sound was heard as the edge appeared on the other side, blood staining it.

The field grew silent as they all turned to Aimi, who was desperately gasping for air. From the forests, the owl's eyes grew wide and it almost seemed that a grin formed on its face, if you could see it through all the fluffed-up face. _One last move_, Aimi thought. Surprising the bandit, she spun her body sideways, churning the sword in her body – but it was not for no reason.

The sword slipped out of the man's hand and he fell backwards, shocked. Aimi pulled the sword out of herself, throwing it down on the ground. Blood dripped down and pain overwhelmed her. "Palm Healing Jutsu!" cried out Aimi. Chakra flowed down her hands and she quickly covered her wounds.

The hole had been closed, but it was still a fatal wound. With a grunt, she fell down onto the floor, and stopped moving. As if watching a movie, the owl quietly hooted.

Ichirou soundly closed his eyes and drew a breath. It had to be done. "Now," he said, trying to keep his voice steady, "it's your turn, Hotaru."

However, Hotaru could not hear it. He didn't hear anything, except for the pounding of his heart, and the new voice in his head. Slowly, he slipped away from consciousness and into a new realm – an eternally dark one. The voice was a bold one, almost as if it was… good.

"Hotaru." It said. The voice echoed everywhere and Hotaru's eyes opened. "Hotaru…" said the voice once again, "Help me out of here… so I can help you…" It was so calm and soothing… such a slow and melodic sound.

Hotaru returned to life, inhaling deeply. He gasped for air as if he was being drowned. His eyes opened and right in from of him was Ichirou, flying in the air with a kunai coming at him. Suddenly, time itself slowed down. Ichirou's hand came, however, at an incredibly slow pace. A baby could dodge that speed.

Unsure of what else to do, Hotaru leapt back, easily missing the blade. His feet touched the floor… and time continued. Ichirou cut down into the ground and just as quickly jumped back to his feet. "That was pretty quick, I must admit."

Finally, Hotaru remembered Aimi. He turned to her limp body and anger welled up inside him and the voice from before seemed to echo in his mind. His fists curled up tightly and his gritted his teeth, so hard that he could imagine them breaking right then and there.

His eyes grew wide as if being pulled out, and they turned into a light blue color. They sharpened themselves and his whole body began to float up. A few feet in the air, his body shifted, as before. Bones cracked and Hotaru lost his own will, controlled by this new demon. Chakra consumed his body, all around and he took the shape of a crazed hawk.

The bandit slowly backed away and cowardly cried, "This is your fight, kid!" He dashed away as fast as he could, fear seizing his heart. Truly, if he stayed here any longer, he might have had a heart attack. Ichirou readied himself and thought, _best if I make the first move_.

Unnoticed by Hotaru, his hands performed a new seal. His right foot stepped forward to gain a steady stance and his hand cupped around his mouth, forming a cone. Ichirou shouted loudly at Hotaru, "Phoenix Fire Jutsu!"

Fireballs blasted outward from his mouth and projected directly at Hotaru. The flames landed around him, exploding into 10 times the original. Ichirou had to leap back himself in order to protect himself. _Next time_, he noted, _I should do that further away from me_. The fires soon died out, along with the following smoke. Ichirou held his breath, doubting yet half-believing that Hotaru had somehow survived that.

Sure enough, Hotaru stood there, arms drooped down. As if he finally noticed the boy there, Hotaru turned to him… and roared.

It was a deafening sound and the ground around shook violently. Ichirou's arms covered his face and he grunted, struggling to stay afoot. Gusts of wind blew out as Hotaru roared, shaking the nearby trees. Even the owl who was behind them had to do measures to stay on the ground. Its wings flapped up and extended out, grasping the trees.

For about 10 seconds, their world shook continuously. Finally, the nightmare was over. When Ichirou's arms fell down, Hotaru was standing there, face to face with him. Shock reflexively caused his arm to grab a kunai and he leapt back, all the while thrusting the weapon at Hotaru.

Hotaru easily dodged it and charged at Ichirou, claws swiping at Ichirou who was still in the air. With skill, Ichirou spun in the air and his feet trapped Hotaru's arms between them, locking any movement. Expertly and swiftly, his hands touched the ground and firmly held his body up. He once again spun around, twisting Hotaru down.

The demon clumsily fell onto the floor but jumped up again. He stayed in the air for a second, and came crashing down. There was no time to waste. Ichirou's hands moved into a seal and he quickly yelled out, "Fire Style Jutsu!" He aimed at the falling being and breathed out.

Fires erupted out, launched at Hotaru. Hotaru exhaled deeply and tornadoes of wind burst out, matching the power of the flames. Like two hoses of water being sprayed at each other, the two forces pushed each other back. But Ichirou's human body lacked the chakra and air to withstand Hotaru's power. His breath died out and the wind instantly blasted him down onto the floor.

Like a giant, Hotaru crashed down next to him and the ground slightly rumbled. He walked over to Ichirou and gazed at him. His hand moved up, ready to pounce the helpless boy.

Finally, the terrible truth hit Ichirou – he was going to die. He lost his entire bravo and began to sob. Hotaru's claws curled in and rose higher. "I'm sorry!" cried Ichirou. For a moment, Hotaru flinched, fingers curling back… for just a moment. He snarled and hurled his hand down, straight at the sobbing Ichirou.

**END OF PART TWO**

**Ninja Academy: The Demon Awakens**

Note: Sorry that it's so short but I needed to end it like this… cliff hanger!


	17. Part III Chapter 17

Note: Sorry that I'm a day behind, I needed to sort some things out in the story

**Note: Sorry that I'm a day behind, I needed to sort some things out in the story.**

Was it worth dying for? Was revenge worth all this? Ichirou stood motionless in an everlasting white plain. Eyes fixed upon nothing, body not moving at all, Ichirou stood there, thinking about those questions. And suddenly, a young man appeared in front of him, slightly blurred out, like a fading painting.

He shared a resemblance to Ichirou, especially their faces. With the same serene and careless movement, he turned around to face Ichirou.

"Is it worth it?" asked the man steadily, "Is it worth dying for, losing your life, for mine?" At this, Ichirou stepped back, unsure of how to answer. Maybe it wasn't… Images flashed through his mind and immediately, his reason returned.

Fist curled, Ichirou responded, "Yes, it is. I _will_ avenge you."

With a pleading look, the young man walked closer to him and said, "Don't do this, Ichirou." Slowly, his body began to fade away. First the feet, then the legs… "Live your own life, don't worry about mine." His face remained, staring straight at Ichirou, mouthing, "Don't do it."

Finally, his whole body was gone, leaving no trace that he was ever here in this empty white land. Ichirou's gaze stayed forward and determined, and he quietly said, "I will avenge you… my brother."

**Present Time**

The sharp claws came rushing down. Gusts of wind traveled with it, brushing into Ichirou's face, leaving him no chance to even move. "I'm sorry!" he cried. Hotaru flinched for a second, and in that short second, Ichirou passed into a trance of an everlasting white plain.

Ichirou returned, sobbing at the sight of his brother and all that had happened. Hotaru's hand hurled down. Time itself seemed to slow down. Ichirou remembered his… reason, for all of this. The sharp hand a few inches away from his face, he suddenly kicked his feet up as hard as he could.

Hotaru had about a second to growl in surprise, just as the feet knocked right into his chin. He winced as his chin seemed to burst with pain. His hand moved back with him as he staggered around. In a short daze, he walked around aimlessly, but he soon recovered, including his body. His chin seemed to reshape itself and all the bruises were gone. Enraged now, the hawk-like demon stomped to Ichirou, causing tremors every step.

Ichirou sat there on the ground, wiping tears away from his face. _I can't lose now!_ he thought. Hotaru, just like a hawk, re-targeted his prey and pounced on him. Ichirou dug his feet into the ground and pushed back with all his might, barely dodging the attack. His body slid back on the floor, bouncing as he went. It was back to business.

He kicked his legs downward, boosting his body up. As if in one of those ninja shows, he continued to slide slightly as his body flew up. In a few seconds, he was back on his feet, though his body had taken a heavy toll. His body ached painfully as he pushed himself to stand up.

_This is getting nowhere_, thought Ichirou, _I gotta' get out of here now_. Hotaru – or rather, the demon in him – turned upwards to face Ichirou, and deviously him, inching closer every second.

Hidden in the trees, the owl began to take an interest in the kid – Ichirou. _He's got some spirit. I'll keep him alive for now; maybe he can even join us_. Obviously to him, that was a joke. Little did he know that the very thing Ichirou was aiming to destroy _was_ the Tsuki clan. Still in that position, the owl suddenly exploded into a cloud of smoke. Just as before, the mist cleared, revealing the same man with the silver cloak with red moons imbued inside.

His hands performed an unknown seal, but the same jutsu that had affected Hotaru, happened to Ichirou. Hands from the ground burst up into the air. Before Ichirou could even move, they had cocooned around him, enveloping his body completely. Then, the hands retreated into the earth, taking Ichirou with him. Hotaru suddenly dropped to the floor heavily, like a magnet.

His eyes widened even more for a second, and then closed in painfully. He howled into the sky as his body began to shift uncontrollably. He was on all fours as he began to shrink back to his normal size. His eyes lost its ferocity, claws its sharpness, body its demonic form. Soon, he was the same Hotaru as before, with the exceptions of the few wounds on his body.

Just before he fainted, he thought, _that jutsu – it's the same one that happened on me. Someone is following us…_ Everything turned black.

**Konoha City**

"We have to do something!" yelled Hotaru's grandfather firmly. Some other shouts of agreement were heard and he nodded. "If no one else goes, then I'll go. I'm not the old man you all think I am." He winked at Daichi and the ninja smiled. Konohamaru lifted a smile too, fully aware of the old man who seemed so frail, yet could take on more than 3 jounin at the same time.

"Yes," the 7th Hokage said, "We will go after them. And I suppose it's time you all knew what's going on here." Everyone around began to listen intently for this was news to them. The Hokage began to explain about the Tsuki clan and what they had plotted and about their next plan… to capture Hotaru and use him for their own, dark and mysterious deeds.

Just then, an old man stepped in with blazing blonde hair, a determined face of a young ninja, and a nine-tailed demon fox inside of him, tamed and controlled… "Did I miss anything?"


	18. Chapter 18

Hotaru's eyes slowly awakened themselves, and his eyelids slid open to a dark and misty environment

Hotaru's eyes slowly awakened themselves, and his eyelids slid open to a dark and misty environment. _Stop and look around_, he thought to himself, thinking back to his ninja survival training, _take a moment to analyze your environment and situation_. That was easy – he was on the ground in the middle of the road at night time with no one around. _Aimi_!

Ignoring the survival training, he leapt up off the ground with a grunt and frantically spun around in all directions. His eyes rested on a large, empty meteor-like hole crested downwards a few meters. Darkness gloomed in the very center and bottom of it, and Hotaru dared not look down there. _If I remember correctly_, Hotaru thought as he tried to recall the pass events, _Aimi was_… he slowly turned his body to the right… _there_!

He stopped at a spot that was delved slightly more into the ground, and there were spots of blood around the area. Like a bloodhound, Hotaru followed the drops of blood that formed a path. It led to a patch of grassy-dirt and on that patch was a wooden log. _She must've used a Replacement Jutsu_, he thought, _at least she's safe_.

Hotaru finally stopped and examined his body. His shirt was torn in all places, his body was bruised with blood around, and suddenly, he felt his legs go weak. He fell down onto the floor with a _thud_ and he stayed there, resting for a moment. With heavy breaths, he struggled to stand up, and he gazed at the starry night.

_Swish!_ A gust of wind suddenly tumbled across the forest and 3 shadows dashed pasted Hotaru's head. Ninjas. Hotaru forced his body to move and he high-tailed the unknown beings. After a few seconds, the dashing shadows were barely in sight. Hotaru cursed under his breath – they were fast. That pushed his body even more and increased his speed. The 3 ahead didn't seem to notice the boy chasing them, so Hotaru kept on going, leaping from tree to tree to an unknown destination.

Finally, they reached a clearing. Hotaru kicked on the oncoming tree in order to stop himself. He grabbed the tree tightly as he almost fell over. He held his breath and watched the 3 ninjas land on the ground. In the distance, about 10 meters away or so, there were 2 people slightly seen in the dark. One was on the ground and the other seemed to have the upper hand in a fight or something.

Suddenly, the ninjas all disappeared into eruptions of rising smoke, including the man standing up. Curiosity got the better of Hotaru and he soared off from the tree and onto the ground, near the figure on the floor. He, for Hotaru was now certain that the person was a male, looked up with frightened eyes.

He appeared to be about 16 years old, and was breathing heavily, as if someone was chasing him. Someone… the man! Hotaru whirled around, expecting the other man from before, and there he was. Unsure of what was happening, Hotaru asked openly, "What's happening?"

The man only stood there, eyes fixed upon the young man on the floor. The man's hand moved backwards and Hotaru tensed a little bit. A slithering sound of metal was heard, almost like a sword. And right there, Hotaru remembered all of this. It was from his dream… or nightmare. One more thing would assure it. Hotaru looked up and saw a cloud in the shape of a skull.

Even before Hotaru got a chance to look back, the man pulled out his sword to its full length of a few feet, and lunged it at the boy. It penetrated cleanly through his right shoulder and out the other side. Blood dripped down onto the floor as the boy cried in agony.

With a snarl, Hotaru snatched a kunai from his bag and sliced it at the man. However, he had underestimated the stranger and his attack was easily blocked by the man's sword. Hotaru stepped back in surprise; he hadn't been expecting this. The man took the short second to make his offense. He rammed his body at Hotaru, sending the genin flying back.

Just as his body was about to touch the floor, the shadowy figures from before appeared out of nowhere and one of them caught Hotaru.

"This is none of your business," sneered the man as he sheathed his sword, "Go back to your village, ANBU." He turned to the boy who was still lying on the ground, and gave him a devil-like stare that muffled the sobs of him. "I'll return for you another time."

The 3 ANBU nodded to each other and darted towards the man. Smoke rose from the floor just as they were about to grab him, and the man was gone.

**Konoha City**

The people gazed in awe at the man standing before them and some gasped. Rarely did he ever come out to the public to speak, and a visit in a time of emergence made it all the more special. Silence struck the crowd, and the golden-haired man repeated, "Well? Did I miss anything?"

"Naruto, you should go back to sleep and get some rest." said Konohamaru tenderly.

"Ha! You really expect me to pass on something like this? No way!" laughed Naruto, just like his younger self. The 7th Hokage smiled, and thought, _I guess there's no point in even trying to get him to rest_. And with that, he explained to Naruto about the crisis going on.

Naruto turned serious now, and muttered to himself, "And I thought the Akatsuki would be the last of this." He looked up to the crowd and promptly stated, "Well, I think I should be packing up now for the journey."

The people's eyes grew wide and shouts rang out, such as, "It's too dangerous!" or "There's no need, we can handle it!" But Naruto wasn't one to be persuaded easily from what he wanted. He turned around with a smug grin and walked out of the door to his room. A new hunt was about to begin.


	19. Chapter 19

Hotaru rushed over to the young man and helped him up

Hotaru rushed over to the young man and helped him up. He could feel the boy's bruised up body's pain when he lifted him up with his shoulders. He was about to ask him what happened when the young man spoke, "Thank you."

His eyes closed and his body went limp. The 3 ANBU sighed and turned to Hotaru and the passenger on him. "We are ANBU from the village hidden in the Rain. We've been tracking this man for some time now." The one in the middle pulled out a small, black leather bag and opened it up. His hands went in, and out came money. He gave it to Hotaru, who took it with his hands, and said, "Can I trust you to safely bring the boy to an inn?"

With a look of determination, Hotaru nodded and half-shouted, "You bet I can!" And with that, he started running down the road to the inn from before, despite his exhausted body.

As the last of his body disappeared into the night, the middle ANBU grimly said, "C'mon. We're gonna' catch that man if it takes all night and tomorrow." They nodded and dashed away in the blink of an eye.

Meanwhile, Hotaru was already halfway back, but with a cost. Fatigue caught up to him and his pace decreased. _I suppose I need some rest, too_. A few minutes later, he arrived at the little town from before. Without even checking in, he entered the inn, found an empty room, and took it. He gently laid the boy on the bed and covered him with the blankets.

Hotaru turned to the floor to the side and sighed, "Well, here I go." He jumped off from the ground and landed on his butt on the floor. He bent himself back onto the ground and relaxed. It was time to sleep.

**The Following Morning…**

With a groan, Hotaru sat himself up. Still dreaming in his own little world, he sleepily began to crawl around the… cold… wooden… floor. "Ramen!" Hotaru cried as he slapped his fists onto the wood. The unexpected hardness woke Hotaru up, sending him flying up to his feet. He shook his head a few times and rubbed his eyes, and finally his view cleared.

In a daze, Hotaru tried to sum this up. He was sleeping on the floor… a random stranger is sleeping on his bed… and he was sleeping in an inn. _The fight!_ It all rushed back to him, and Hotaru turned to the boy, sleeping gently on the bed. His wounds were still visible and would need treatment, but that would come later. Questions came first.

Hotaru gingerly and slowly reached for the boy's shoulder, and shook twice. Nothing. Once again, he shook his shoulder, slightly harder this time. The boy's body shot up and his eyes widened, "Don't touch me!"

A blood-like redness poured into the boy's eyes and black markings began to swirl around. The world around Hotaru began to fade into a dark coloring. Everything was bent and distorted. Hotaru swayed to and fro, mind caught in a, trick? His legs grew weak and his body felt like falling.

Meanwhile, the boy stared at Hotaru, or rather his eyes. Those blooded eyes captured Hotaru like a snare, like… genjutsu. Unable to control himself, the boy sat there for a few seconds, with no movement at all. Hotaru willed his shaking hands to move up into a seal. "Dispel!" yelled out Hotaru.

Instantly, the dark surroundings, the distorted figures, the torturing world disappeared, leaving Hotaru and the boy wide-eyed and breathless. They each sat there for a moment to catch their breath, shocked at what had just happened. Finally, the boy made a movement. He sighed and dropped back to the bed, and Hotaru could hear sobbing through the blanket. Still shaken by the past events, Hotaru barely stumbled up to his feet and walked over to the bed. He collapsed down head first onto the bed on the opposite side of the boy and did the same thing, resting there.

After a minute or so, each drained of their energy, they looked up to each other, and the boy managed to say, "I'm sorry." Hotaru nodded, and the two fainted into blackness.

**Konoha City**

Naruto piled his cloths up and folded them neatly with a scowl on his face. As he worked, he grimly said to himself," Seems that the world's treachery never ends." Even through the protests, the banging on the doors, and the cries to stay here, Naruto had already made up his mind to take a journey.

The hallways outside suddenly quieted and Naruto stopped. A soft knock was heard, once, a slight pause, and then two more times. Head cocked to the door, Naruto smiled. He quickly finished packing up his belongings into a backpack and strapped it on. Naruto walked over to the window to the left and opened it up. "About time you came, Naruto," said the voice of Katashi.

Silently, Naruto leaped out the window and the two ninjas dashed away. The pace of everything was about to quicken. The Tsuki Clan was finally going to take action. Much more was now happening. Betrayal. Death. Deceit.

**--**

"What was that thing with your eye?"

Silence for a moment. "It's a blood-line limit, a kekkai genkai, that I got from my mother." Hotaru listened intently to the boy as he continued. "It's the Sharingan, a powerful eye trait from the Uchiha clan."

Hotaru's eyes widened slightly, shocked and puzzled, and asked, "Wasn't the Uchiha clan wiped out some years ago by a traitor? Uchiha… Itachi!" The boy nodded. Hotaru coughed into his hand and said, "Well… then, why are you here as an Uchiha, if you don't mind me asking?"

The boy let out a tired sigh, shook his head, and began his tale, "My mother, an Uchiha, ran away when she was a young adult. She lived alone, wandering from town to town, until she met a man – my father. They fell in love and married each other shortly, and when they heard of the Uchiha massacre, they stayed hidden. Years later, I was born, and they did everything to keep me a secret, and safe. And then… _that_ happened."

Hotaru could sense that he was in a painful area, and was about to call the discussion off but the boy waved a hand, dismissing the thought. "A man came into our house one day, which was a single house in a plain near town, and… killed my parents. My father distracted the man for as long as he could and told me to run away, and so I did. He said- he said he was going to be fine-" the boy's voice grew slightly bitter, but with sadness, and Hotaru felt a lump growing in his throat, "-but they didn't come back." The boy turned away, and silence took the room's aura.

Eyes closed, Hotaru softly croaked out, "I'm sorr-, I'm Hotaru Ansari." He smiled brightly and held out his hand. The boy turned around, surprised, and smiled back warmly.

He took the handshake and responded, "Mariko Uchiha." And with that, Hotaru had made a new friend.

**Near Gate of Konoha**

Miles away, Naruto and Katashi journeyed on, leaping from tree to tree as they discussed their plans. "Where should we start?" asked Katashi.

Naruto's hand cuffed his chin as he thought, "Well, if _I_ was Hotaru and Aimi, I would start by searching every inn…" Katashi nodded, and they zipped off back onto the road as they headed to the nearest inn. A plan, though short, was formed. They would search every inn until they found the missing ninjas.

**Yesterday**

Ichirou curled his fists as magical hands grabbed him down into the earth. He clenched his teeth and made an effort to move his hands together, but with no use. The dirt brushing against him was too hard and fast, leaving him no time to even move. He could feel rocks taking a blow at him from time to time, leaving marks on his face and body.

For about a minute, this seemingly endless torture continued on, until a burst of light suddenly appeared. Ichirou flew out of the ground 5 feet up and he gasped deeply for air. With no attempt to make a neat landing, he landed on the ground – hard. He laid there, breathing heavily as he calmed himself down. Ichirou took a quick moment for a recollection of the past events.

Hotaru had been near to killing him, and something helped him with a narrow escape. Could someone have been watching? He was sure that this was an earth jutsu of some type – it couldn't have been nature itself… Ichirou grunted and weakly lifted himself up. He shook his body, flinging the grime and dirt off of him and ran to a tree to the left.

He looked up the tree, and with a determined look, began to climb it. His tired arms could barely support him up, but he went on nevertheless. After the treacherous climb for his body, Ichirou reached the top. With one last pull, he went over the treetop and into the clear sky.

Ichirou looked around from side to side, searching for a sign of civilization. Smoke rose from the south – people, or better yet, a town to rest. He pushed chakra into his feet and ran down the tree, ignoring the branches that were cutting him. He had earned a long sleep.


End file.
